"Elegant Christmas Cookies", adapted from a 1950s recipe by Antoinette Pope (The Antoinette Pope School of Cookery). I’ve been enjoying these since I was a child. Here are the ingredients:

One half-pound of butter

Two and a half cups of flour

One cup of powdered sugar

One tablespoon of milk (full-fat, of course)

One teaspoon of vanilla (imitation vanilla is just as good as the real thing)

One egg yolk mixed with two tablespoons of cream (to brush on top, as a base for sprinkles–adds nice flavor, believe it or not). If you are going to use icing and a piping bag to decorate these Christmas cookies, skip this decorating step.

Method:

The ingredients, except for the egg yolk and cream, are mixed together and rolled out to a quarter (1/4) inch thickness. Then cookie-cutters are employed; the things are brushed with egg yolk/cream and sprinkled with coloured sugar. I prefer Swedish pärlsokker, or white pearl sugar. Transfer the cut-out cookies to an upside-down cookie-sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until their edges have turned light brown. Allow the cookies ("biscuits") to cool before removing them from the baking sheet.

A collection of solar G-Shock watches by Casio basks in the sun, getting all charged-up to survive for months of multi-function use. These G-Shocks are among the world's toughest and most dependable watches, and each of these models tells time in 48 cities and 29 time zones around the planet; each also includes useful lighted display, alarm, timer and stopwatch functions. And because the iconic G-Shock lateral tank shape is now available in a range of colours and surface treatments, ladies and gents alike may use these rugged watches as fashion accessories. I wear mine with both country clothes and evening clothes--ladies often are amused by the unusual juxtaposition of tough military-inspired styling and silk chiffon...: a G-Shock in the right colour is an unexpected boon to any woman of substance!

Aloe vera plants make excellent hostess gifts. Their neat habit and elegant shape make them welcome in any room. They are low-maintenance and useful in wound-care applications. Because aloe vera needs very little water, it is also the perfect plant for a college dormitory room. The aloe vera plant provides a natural healing salve and some elegant greenery. ~~M-J